United Kingdom - DAC Peer Review of Development Co-operation

UK should keep foreign aid at commendable 0.7% level, says OECD.

The United Kingdom has done well to increase its development spending to 0.72% of gross national income despite a challenging budget climate and should strive to maintain that level of aid for the years ahead, according to a new OECD Review.

In its latest Peer Review of the United Kingdom, the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) notes that raising its official development assistance (ODA) by 30.5% to GBP 11.4 billion in 2013 made the UK the world’s No. 2 donor by aid volume after the United States. The UK is the first major economy to meet the 0.7% target agreed by international donors in 1970. The average ODA/GNI ratio among DAC members is 0.30%.

Implementation of peer review recommendations from 2010

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A lead role in shaping the global development agenda

The UK uses its position strategically to address global public risks and bring development concerns into international policy fora. Its peers value the UK’s leadership in driving the development agenda, with the prime minister having co-chaired the UN High-Level Panel on the post-2015 agenda. The UK also used its 2013 presidency of the G8 to promote increased efforts on trade, tax and transparency effectively, and played an important role as co-chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation. Having met its commitment to provide 0.7% of its GNI as ODA by 2013 adds weight to the UK’s internationally recognised role on global development.